Proof of Life

"Welcome to the inner workings of my mind" -MS MR

I opened up my blogging journal and turned to the page of The Things I Love.  In the thick of my disorder, life was very black and white.  There was little room for the things I truly care about.  In recovery, I made a random list of moments that brought me back to the land of the living.  I got the idea from reading a book called The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha.  Check it out, it's awesome and hilarious!  Some of those on my list are the same things that just about everybody appreciates:  Sunsets, hot coffee, that kind of cliché stuff.  Now of course there is nothing wrong with those typical things, but what specifically makes us tick?  What gives each of us a sense of peace, comfort, joy, laughter?  What us gives us the proof of life that we all need?  What makes us the same and what makes us different?  We each crave certain things.  What gives me personally the feeling that I am in and of this world?  I would encourage anyone who is in recovery or just having a hard time remembering who they are, to start writing a list of their own list.  Looking at this list and adding things to it really reminds  me of what makes me, me!  Give it a try for yourself!  You may learn some really interesting things about what in this world makes you truly happy.  


Here is my list in no particular order:

• Driving through falling leaves
• Watching my children play when they don't know I'm there
• Sunrises and sunsets
• The sound of silence when it snows
• Listening to beautiful music
• The smell of jack-o-lanterns when they are lit
• The sound of my husband laughing really hard
• Holding hands
• The feeling of sand between my toes
• The Dalai Lama's smile
• The smell and sound of campfires
• The colors of Autumn
• Pretty much any flower
• Sincere hugs (My friend Erica gives the best!)
• Watching the clouds pass over me
• Windstorms
• The sound of my children laughing
• My daughter's beautiful eyes
• My son when he snuggles with me
• Watching birds
• Observing nature in silence
• Thunder and lightening
• Looking in windows at night when I pass by
• The sound of a cat purring 
• Swinging on a swing set
  
• Playing hide-and-seek with children
• Coffee with friends
• Coffee alone
• A great yoga practice
• Singing in my car (and car dancing)
• The sound of  barred owls
• Fresh, clean bedsheets
• Rainy days in a cozy house
• Giving gifts that I made
• The way I feel after a good cry
• The feeling of laughing so hard it hurts
• Feeling really small under the night sky
• Really good chocolate
• Spending a great day with my sister
• Watching the ocean alone
• Sleeping with the window open
• Naps in the middle of the day
• Knowing I married my best friend
• A really good, fresh pain au chocolat 
• Reuniting with loved ones
• My mom and dad when they are laughing together
• Wearing something I feel confident in
• My (unnatural) red hair
• The smell of rain after a dry spell
• A really good find at a thrift store
• Helping someone I care about
• The feeling of soft things under my nose
• The sound of wooden wind chimes
• Watching babies sleep
• Drawing
• Catching a glimpse of a shooting star
• Seeing my parents are still in love
• The feeling I get when my house is clean
• Finding stuff in my coat pocket that I forgot about
• Falafel gyros
• Cooking something that tastes really good
• Watching my garden bloom
• The cold side of the pillow

Food for Thought

What moments make you truly happy and feel alive?

Where you able add anything to your list?


Live on!

-Kristy